Aside from Braid, the Xbox 360 Live Marketplace game that people have been most looking forward to is Bionic Commando: Rearmed. The game is a remake of the 1988 NES title which has become a cult hit in the last 20 years. It made a name for itself on the NES thanks to great gameplay and a killer soundtrack, so the downloadable Xbox title had a lot to build upon, but also a reputation to uphold.

While many people remember Bionic Commando as being one of the best platformers to appear on the NES, many other people remember it as the game with the grappling hook arm where you can’t jump. This last point hasn’t changed–you can run from place to place, but any obstacles have to be swung over, around, or through. Using your bionic arm you can pick up and throw barrels (and bad guys later on), block bullets, and remove giant bolts, but the best thing you can do is get around the levels with incredible dexterity. The swinging mechanic relies on expert timing and it takes some time to master, but after practice it is surprising to see the places where you can manage to get yourself. The game takes full advantage of this and while the average bad guy is not difficult, getting to the boss stage intact usually means you will have had to do some expert swinging ans fast shooting.

The storyline is pretty simple–save your buddy and kill the bad guys–but the game does not suffer as a result. The plot is enough to move the story along and give things a purpose, but that’s about it. The game is designed around a map with a number of different stages scattered about. They are numbered but you can play the one you want when you want, so long as they are available. There are obstacles, like the lack of a certain key or upgrade that will prevent you from playing certain levels before you are ready for them, so there is definitely some jumping about in order to find the necessary gear. In addition to upgrading your bionic arm (which, like your weapons sees one improvement over the game) you can get improved armor and lots of guns. The guns are generally the most satisfying upgrades, and the developers did a good job of making each fun to use. By the time you get the machine gun (one of the later ones) you will have a healthy appreciation for the rocket launcher and the starting gun, the revolver. These upgrade elements add a necessary depth to the game and make it a lot more interesting than it otherwise would be, mostly because they have to be found.

Because levels are replayable it makes sense that secrets are scattered about. This adds a fun sandbox element to the game where the player will want to go back to a stage and see just what secrets they can find. Often by missing a jump or making a heroic swing the player will be rewarded with something, like extra armor or an unlocked feature.

One parts of the game that really shines are the visuals. The original Nintendo feel is still there, but with a updated look and an impressive depth (2.5D) that you just don’t expect out of a remake or a platformer. The game has vibrant, cartoonish colors and even with the great restyling, it remains true to the original. The sound too is topnotch and players don’t have to worry about this aspect of the game lagging behind.

The make-or-break part of the Bionic Commando game is the controls. The arm is not exactly easy to master so precise controls are crucial. This is one of the things that made the NES game so much fun. This time around the controls are manageable, and the developers clearly took pains to dial them in, but the Xbox 360’s controller just isn’t up to the task some of the time. The d-pad is very hard to use, so the analog stick, which is a less than perfect tool, will probably become the primary control (it was for me). This is fine most of the time, but when ultimate precision is necessary things can get very frustrating.

{ad}Rearmed has a few modes that vary up the gameplay a bit. The first is a top-down running-up-the-screen battle that comes when you are moving across the map in your helicopter and encounter enemy units. This move from platformer to top-down shooter is a lot like the NES’ Rygar, but this time the stages are short, extremely easy interruptions that quickly become tedious. The other variant is the hacking mini-game where you break into the enemies mainframe and have to traverse a ball around a 3D cube in order to shoot it into the right area inside. It’s odd at first, but becomes a fun brainteaser as the game progresses. Finally there is cooperative/versus modes where you can let some of your friends join in the fun. These were not my cup of tea, but they can help with replayability and let people get the most out of their 800 points ($10).

For players who have truly mastered their bionic arm and the physic of the game there are a number of challenge rooms available for you to test our kills and compare them to players around the world. These are timed stages with no enemies and lots of one-hit-you’re-dead spike traps so getting from start to finish is not just about crossing the line as quickly as possible, it’s about staying alive as well. These stages can be extremely difficult, but for the right player they will be a great way to spend hours honing their skills.

After putting in some pretty serious time with Bionic Commando: Rearmed it’s clear that this is one of the finest downloadable games on the Xbox 360 right now. It can be frustrating and even punishing at times, but as platformers go it’s a nicely done remake of a true classic. There are some quirks, the controls can be tough, and you can’t jump but Rearmed is a steal for $10. Many players would probably be happy paying close to the price of a full game, but given the short stages and the fact that it’s a remake, the 800 point price makes is a great pickup for anyone (not just retro fans).